WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told members of Congress the Department of Justice is dropping their “Anti-Weaponization Fund”. That proposed fund, which the administration said it would provide financial relief to people who were targeted by the government, became a polarizing issue on Capitol Hill.
“I believe it is off the table for consideration,” said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R- LA) ahead of AG Blanche confirming that the DOJ is not longer pursuing that fund.
On Tuesday, the Speaker stated he told the President his proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund” made it difficult for congress to push through key legislation.
“I told him it was a difficult prospect given our vote tallies,” said Speaker Johnson.
The Fund, which was announced in May, faced sharp criticism on both sides. The DOJ announced the roughly $1.8 billion dollar fund as part of the President’s settlement agreement with the IRS. The DOJ said the fund would provide a “systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.” The Fund received fierce backlash, including Republicans and became a roadblock for advancing the GOP’s immigration and enforcement bill. Many raised concerns that people who participated in the January 6, 2021 US Capitol attack would get money from the fund. The fund became so polarizing, Senate Republicans had to delay a vote on their immigration funding bill.
“The first amendment I will offer on the Republican reconciliation bill will be to ban Trump’s slush fund permanently,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D- NY), Senate Minority Leader.
Senator John Thune (R- SD), the Senate Majority Leader, was asked if the fund would sidetrack efforts to move forward with a vote on their immigration funding bill this week. He hopes the acting Attorney General’s comments on the Hill will give Republicans enough confidence to move forward.
“I’m not guaranteeing that’s happening yet,” said Leader Thune on reconciliation. “We’re continuing to have conversation with our members.”
Democrats are proposing legislation that would squash this fund altogether.
“This President is marching us through an unprecedented amount of corruption and milking the cow that is the US government every day,” said Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D- MI) who is proposing the legislation. “This bill is one sentence, literally one sentence. Again, it shouldn’t be a political statement that Democrats and Republicans should understand that US taxpayer dollars should not be paid to people convicted of violent crimes.”
